National Football League

Cowboys open Week 10 against the Giants as biggest favorites of the season

Updated Nov. 8, 2023 2:12 p.m. ET

The Dallas Cowboys are known as "America's Team."

That moniker applies both to their popularity among sports fans, but also to their appeal to the betting public.

But in Week 10 against the (2-7) New York Giants, Dallas (5-3) is favored by as many as 16.5 points at some sportsbooks — and that's despite coming off a 28-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The 16.5 points by which the Cowboys are favored over the Giants is the biggest spread of this NFL season so far.

Will the betting public still back the 'Boys at such a large number?

The game is at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday and can be seen on FOX and the FOX Sports App.

The large spread isn't a surprise to FOX Sports NFL Analyst Bucky Brooks, even though the Cowboys have lost three of their last six games after starting the season 2-0.

"Despite losses to a pair of NFC heavyweights, the Cowboys are positioned to make a run at Super Bowl LVIII," Brooks said. "As crazy as it may sound, Dallas' losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles suggest the team will be able to compete for the Lombardi Trophy when the postseason commences in January."

Is Daniel Jones' future with the Giants in jeopardy after torn ACL injury?

Some background on the Cowboys and large point spreads:

– The last time a team was favored by 16 or more points was when Dallas was a 17.5-point favorite over the Houston Texans in Week 14 of the 2022 season. The Cowboys did not cover in a 27-23 victory.

– Dallas was favored by 12 in Week 3 of this season against the Arizona Cardinals but lost, 28-16.

– Three other teams have been favored by 12.5 or more points this season and all of them covered. The Kansas City Chiefs (-12.5) beat the Chicago Bears 41-10 on Sept. 24, the 49ers (-14.5) beat the Cardinals 35-16 on Oct. 1 and the Cleveland Browns (-13) beat the Cardinals 27-0 on Nov. 5.

– Dallas was just a 3.5-point favorite in its season opener at New York on Sept. 10 but cruised to a 40-0 win. The Cowboys sacked Giants quarterback Daniel Jones seven times while recording the largest margin of victory in the rivalry, which dates back to 1960 (Dallas leads 74-47-2).

– Dallas has won five in a row over New York (winning by an average of 18.8 points) and 12 of the past 13, dating back to 2017.

Jones is out for the season after tearing the ACL in his right knee on Sunday. Backup QB Tyrod Taylor is on injured reserve with a rib cage injury, so the Giants will start either undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito or veteran Matt Barkley.

According to NFC East reporter Ralpph Vacchiano, the outlook for the Giants for the rest of the season is bleak.

"With Jones out for the season, they feel like locks to finish in the top two or three [draft picks]," Vacchiano said. "They might not win another game."

Do you think the Cowboys can cover such a large point spread, or are you taking the Giants and the points?

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